Cleveland cop beats disabled vet in front of family because he was called a ‘jerk’: lawsuit

A Cleveland police officer was sued after he beat a disabled veteran in front of his family because the man insulted him.

According to a lawsuit reviewed by Northeast Ohio Media Group and The Plain Dealer, Narlin Shadd had been leaving a Friday night Cleveland Indians game in 2005 when he misunderstood traffic signals being given by officer Alvin White.

When the officer confronted Shadd, the special education teacher explained that he thought White had been waving him through. The lawsuit said that White reached into the car and pressed his flashlight against Shadd’s lips to stop him from talking.

Shadd said that he pushed the flashlight away, and then he called White a “jerk.”

The lawsuit alleged that White pulled Shadd out of the car, kicked his leg out from under him, and continued beating him.

In a police report, White said that Shadd appeared drunk, bumped him with his car, cursed at him and resisted arrest. But White was later forced to admit under oath that the collision did not leave a mark, and that he was bumped by cars all the time.

The lawsuit also pointed out that Shadd’s daughter and wife witnessed the incident while they were standing across the intersection, but investigators did not take statements from them.

Shadd was arrested and charged with failure to comply. He spent three days in jail.

Two months later, a Cuyahoga County grand jury refused to indict Shadd for resisting arrest, assault on a police officer or failure to comply.

A grand jury eventually awarded Shadd $50,000. The Plain Dealer reported that White is still working as a patrol officer.

About the Author

David Edwards has served as an editor at Raw Story since 2006. His work can also be found at Crooks & Liars, and he's also been published at The BRAD BLOG. He came to Raw Story after working as a network manager for the state of North Carolina and as as engineer developing enterprise resource planning software. Follow him on Twitter at @DavidEdwards.